M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. Thousands were distributed through the Lend-Lease program to the British Commonwealth and Soviet Union. The tank was named by the British for the American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman. Overview The M4 Sherman evolved from the M3 Medium Tank, which had its main armament in a side sponson mount. The M4 retained much of the previous mechanical design, but put the main 75 mm gun in a fully traversing turret. One feature, a one-axis gyrostabilizer, was not precise enough to allow firing when moving but did help keep the reticle on target, so that when the tank did stop to fire, the gun would be aimed in roughly the right direction. The designers stressed mechanical reliability, ease of production and maintenance, durability, standardization of parts and ammunition in a limited number of variants, and moderate size and weight. These factors, combined with the Sherman's then-superior armor and armament, outclassed German light and medium tanks fielded in 1939–42. The M4 went on to be produced in large numbers. It spearheaded many offensives by the Western Allies after 1942. When the M4 tank went into combat in North Africa with the British Army at El Alamein in late 1942, it increased the advantage of Allied armor over Axis armor and was superior to the lighter German and Italian tank designs. For this reason, the US Army believed that the M4 would be adequate to win the war, and relatively little pressure was initially exerted for further tank development. Logistical and transport restrictions, such as limitations imposed by roads, ports, and bridges, also complicated the introduction of a more capable but heavier tank. Tank destroyer battalions using vehicles built on the M4 hull and chassis, but with open-topped turrets and more potent high-velocity guns, also entered widespread use in the Allied armies. Even by 1944, most M4 Shermans kept their dual purpose 75 mm gun. By then, the M4 was inferior in firepower and armor to increasing numbers of German heavy tanks, but was able to fight on with the help of considerable numerical superiority, greater mechanical reliability, better logistical support, and support from growing numbers of fighter-bombers and artillery pieces. Some Shermans were produced with a more capable gun, the 76 mm gun M1, or refitted with an Ordnance QF 17-pounder by the British (the Sherman Firefly). The relative ease of production allowed large numbers of the M4 to be manufactured, and significant investment in tank recovery and repair units allowed disabled vehicles to be repaired and returned to service quickly. These factors combined to give the Allies numerical superiority in most battles, and many infantry divisions were provided with M4s and tank destroyers. After World War II, the Sherman, particularly the many improved and upgraded versions, continued to see combat service in many conflicts around the world, including the UN forces in the Korean War, with Israel in the Arab–Israeli wars, briefly with South Vietnam in the Vietnam War, and on both sides of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. In Flames of War Whether your American troops are fighting in the desert heat of North Africa or in the deadly hedgerows of northern France, the M4A1 Sherman is a vital addition to your taskforce. A platoon of these medium tanks will help your infantry deal with those nasty enemy machine-gun positions as well as confront enemy Panzers! The main gun has a Range of 32”/80cm, ROF 2 (with Stabilisers), a respectable AT 10 and FP 3+. In addition, they have Co-ax and Hull MGs to ward off enemy infantry. All the Sherman tanks are medium tanks. They can be either deployed as formation support for another unit or as a separate formation: * Sherman Tank Company for the US Army (both in Mid-War and Late-War) * Sherman Amroured Squadron for the British Army (as above); * Lend-Lease Tank Battalion for the Soviets (described in Stalin's Europe). The German players also have the options to deploy the Looted Tank units (Beutepanzer) with Shermans. Mid-War The 75mm gun performs comparably well as its German equivalent used in Panzer IV F2/G (both have Anti-Tank 10), making the Sherman on par with the standard German tanks from Afrika Korps formations. The tank has comparable front armour to uparmoured Panzer III (6) and superior side armour to most of the German tanks (4 compared to 3). The American crews have Confident Green ratings, while the British ones - Confident Trained. The American 75mm M3 gun with Anti-Tank 10 was sufficiently destructive to endanger all Axis armour in theatre and the HE round is explosive enough with Firepower 3+ to cause Infantry and Guns to consider it as a serious threat. Added into the anti-personnel firepower is the excellent .50cal Heavy Machine-Gun on the cupola mount, backed up by Hull & Coax MG’s, providing a solid 4 shots of MG fire per Sherman to keep marauding Infantry hiding in their holes and reliably Pin enemy platoons as part of assault preparation. The differences between Shermans fielded from American formations is the loss of the Stabiliser, which reduces the volume of cannon fire on the move, this was commonly disabled by British crews even if supplied. Also, the British bring in a penalty to their Last Stand, shifting from Confident 4+ to a more reluctant 5+ as a ‘Fight Another Day’ rule. Heroics were sometimes called for, but the respect between the opposing sides of the Desert War often meant evasion or captivity was not so bad, better than the cold certainty of being dead. Late-War As for 1944-45 standards, the 75mm gun Sherman tanks can be compared to Panzer IV H/J, T-34/76 and Cromwell tanks: * the have slightly worse Anti-Tank value than the Panzer IV (10 against 11), the same frontal armour (6) and top armour (1), better side armour (4 against 3) and similar mobility; * the Soviet T-34/76 tank has better side armour than the Sherman (5 against 4) and better mobility at the cost of a weaker gun; * finally, the Cromwell surpasses Sherman only in superior mobility. The 76mm gun Tanks The up-gunned variants (M4A1/76, M4A2/76, M4A3/76, M4A3E2/76 and M4A3E8) have the anti-tank value of 13, on par with Tiger tank and the M10 tank destroyers. Uparmoured Tanks M4A3 tanks can be fitted with additional armour on front and sides, which gives them Front Armour 8 and Side/Rear Armour 5. The M4A3E2 Jumbo variant also has the same increased protection, making it more difficult to blow up than the older variants. Model kits Metal/resin model kits: * AARBX05 Arab M4/FL-10 Sherman Tank Platoon (Arab-Israeli wars) * UBX05 M4A1 76mm Sherman Platoon (five tanks) * UBX02 M4A1 Sherman Platoon (five tanks) * UBX25 M4A3E2 Jumbo Tanks (four tanks) * UBX28 M4A3 (late) Sherman Platoon (five tanks) * UBX29 M4A3 Sherman Platoon (five tanks) * US040 M4 Sherman (early production model) * SBX15 M4 76mm Sherman Tankovy Company (five M4A2/76 tanks) Plastic model kits: * OFBX05 M4A3 Sherman (two M4A3 tanks) * USAB03 7th Armored Division (13 Sherman tanks plus one objective marker) * USAB05 Grimball's Beasts (Late-War US Army, 5 Sherman tanks included) * USAB09 US Combat Command (Late-War US Army, 8 Sherman tanks included) * USAB06 Patton's Fighting First (Plastic) (five M4A1 Sherman tanks included) * UBX55 Sherman Tank Platoon (Mid-War US Army, five models) * TANKS01 The Panther vs Sherman Starter Set (two M4A3s included) * TANKS02 American Sherman Tank Expansion (one M4A3 Sherman) * TANKS07 British Sherman Firefly Tank Expansion (can be built as M4A4 Sherman V or Sherman VC Firefly) * TANKS47 American Sherman (early) Tank Expansion Set * TANKS59 Sherman II Tank Expansion Set (the same model as TANKS47) * FWBX09 Hit the Beach (eight M4A1 tanks with M4A1/76 options and a commander sprue) Model assembly Metal and resin model kits The pre-2013 metal and resin Sherman model kits consist of the following parts: * resin hull * resin turret * soft metal threads (left and right) * a soft metal gun barrel and machineguns * soft metal turret hatches and cupolas * tank commander's bust made of soft metal (one in a blister pack, five in platoon box sets). The platoon box sets also contain rare earth magnets and US Army decal sheets. The assembly itself is straight-forward, though some care is necessary when attaching the gun barrels to their locations. The included Browning M2HB AAMGs are often bent in not convincing angles and lack details - the best solution is replacing them with plastic machineguns. Plastic M4A3 model kits Those are assembled as shown in the diagram to the right. These sets have been available since 2013 and they contain two turrets for each tank - the 75mm gun turret and the 76mm gun turret. A 105mm howitzer turret can be built instead of the 75mm gun turret - the 75mm gun barrel has to be replaced with the howitzer mantlet with the short barrel. Additional armour plates are included for the front and the rear hull, if an uparmoured tank is planned to be built. Plastic M4/M4A1 model kits The Mid-War Sherman variant was released in 2018. It is available both for the US Army and the British Army as "Sherman II". It is assembled in a similar way to the M4A3, just the sprue contains fewer parts and only one turret. The Late-War kits released in June 2019 contain hull and turret options to build a M4A1/76 tank. Painting US Army All the US Army tanks and military vehicles deployed to Europe between 1944 and 1945, as well as to the Northern Africa between November 1942 and 1943, were overall painted Lusterless Olive Drab as their standard colour. It was a compromise between typical earth colours and foliage colours in temperate areas. It was inexpensive to produce, as it used a mix of just two pigments: ochre and black. Since March 1943, the orders were given to add camouflage patterns to armoured vehicles and some units did apply improvised camouflage on their vehicles, though no official pattern was specified, so the camouflage patterns varied from one vehicle to another. During the 1944-45 Winter in Western Europe, the vehicles were also winterized with whitewash. American Shermans usually had white American stars painted on turret sides, hull sides and the glacis plate. The engine deck was adorned with a US star in a roundel as an air recognition mark. The British Army and the Commonwealth The Sherman tanks delivered to the Eight Army before the El Alamein battle were painted sand yellow as the primary colour, completed with black blotches. The tanks received for the Italian campaign 1943-45 and the North-Western Europe 1944-45 were usually left either in the original Olive Drab colour or painted with its British equivalent - the S.C.C. 15 Olive Drab. The British Army also used the white-wash winterization. The Soviet Army The M4A2 Sherman tanks received by the Soviets during the Lend-Lease program were usually painted the standard Olive Drab colour, supplemented with white tactical numbers and propaganda slogans applied to the hull. In the German service Most of the captured Sherman tanks retained their original colours adorned with Teuton crosses for recognition. Suggested paints: * Battlefront Sherman Drab (US Army/Soviet Lend Lease) * Battlefront Firefly Green (Commonwealth Lend-Lease Shermans) * Humbrol H155 Olive Drab * Citadel Base Ceramite White (whitewash) * steel metalizer (for machineguns and exposed metal parts) * black (for treads) * any tone of yellow or brown (camouflage) Combat efficiency Mid-War The 75mm M3 gun is one of the most powerful tank guns in the Mid-War period - with the Anti-Tank value of 10, it can easily harm any enemy tank except the heaviest ones. Only the Tiger I, the KV-1 and the Churchill have good chances of defending themselves from the shots, though their side and rear armour can also be pierced, depending on dice rolls. The tank's armour is also good for the game period. The only drawback is the poor crew rating - American crews for Mid-War are Confident Green, which means they succeed in carrying out orders on 5+ roll and the British crews for the same period are Confident Trained with 5+ Last Stand. Due to the crew's rather poor skills, they have to be led cautiously. Enemy heavy tanks and anti-tank guns are the main threats for the Sherman; if approached, they should be attacked in their sider armour or rear, not in the front plates. Late-War The advent of up-gunned German tanks such as the Panther and Tigers proved the M3 75mm gun being obsolete as an anti-tank weapon. It still has chances against late Panzer IV variants and might work well against Panther's side or rear armour, however, its efficiency against heavier vehicles remains low. The new German tank guns pierce Sherman's armour easily, especially the Tigers' 88mm guns or Panther's 75mm L/70 gun. Uparmoured variants are significantly more resistant to enemy fire, though they should also avoid getting shot from bigger guns. The 76mm gun Tanks With the Anti-Tank value of 13, the 76mm gun Shermans have greater chances of defeating the enemy tanks. Only the heaviest vehicles, such as the King Tiger or Jagdtiger, maintain frontal armour impervious to the shots; still, their side and rear armour (8) remains quite a good target. Suggested Tactics An optimal platoon of Sherman tanks should contain four tanks, two of those should be 76mm gun tanks and the remaining two the 75mm gun ones. The 76mm gun tanks are the main firing team against the armoured opponents, while the 75mm gun tanks are supposed to protect the better-armed ones from enemy infantry and weaker vehicles. It is also a good idea to assign hits aimed at the 76mm gun tanks at the 75mm tanks using the Mistaken Target rule. For games played above the regular 1700 point limit, taking a full five-tank platoon with 76mm guns is even better option, since they provide enough damage to stop even a Tiger I or an IS-2 heavy tanks. Improvements With the advent of the American and British Command Cards issued since 2018, the Sherman tank units can be upgraded with commanders and crew members boosting the units' performance at the point cost. American * Lafayette Poole is an excellent upgrade for a Sherman tank platoon. For the cost of 4 points, he grants the Unit Leader's tank no penalty for shooting the main gun on the move and improves the result needed for using Follow Me order to 3+. * Bullseye command card from ''Fighting First ''set works the same as Lafayette Poole, except the lack of Follow Me bonus. Costs 4 points. * Charge the Guns gives the Unit a bonus to Follow Me Movement Order (passed on 3+ instead of 5+) and allows shooting after passing the Follow me order. * William Wilbur Command Card grants a re-roll to one failed to Hit roll and one failed Firepower test to one tank, on the condition the tan unit is attached as a support to a rifle company. Image gallery USAB09-13.png USAB09-15.png USAB09-16.png USAB09-18.png Sherman stowage (1).JPG Sherman platoon.png Sherman platoon2.png USAB08-43.png|A Mid-War Sherman unit card. Late War_02a.png|A V3 US Tank company. Shermans are the core components. Late War_02b.png UBX55 box.jpg FWBX09-36.jpg FWBX09-37.jpg FWBX09-38.jpg FWBX09-39.jpg FWBX09-40.jpg FWBX09-41.jpg Sherman vs T34.png|A comparison between M4 Sherman and T-34 tank. FWBX09-19.jpg|The M4A1/76 W parts released in 2019. Notice the older t23 turret. Late War_01b.png FW262C-03.jpg Category:Vehicles Category:Tanks Category:Armoured Tanks Category:American Category:Allied Category:Mid-war Category:Late-war Category:Tank Teams Category:Observer Teams Category:Formations Category:Lend-Lease